Licensed Acupuncturist Krista McCain
Krista McCain, MSOM LAc BSc Nutr founded Hundred Grasses Acupuncture in 2006. She is a Wisconsin state licensed and nationally board certified acupuncturist with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is a member of the American Society of Acupuncturists and the Wisconsin Society of Acupuncturists.
Prior to starting Hundred Grasses, her work was in healthcare. Whether she was working as an advocate for people with disabilities or providing mental health triage for hospitals, Krista has always been devoted to helping people find — and if necessary — create their place in the healthcare system.
Krista enjoys robust and rigorous sciences, research and many aspects of conventional medicine. Her study of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has given her a much broader approach to how she looks at a patient’s experience with both chronic as well as acute conditions. And in the end, people who have access to conventional and traditional healthcare will tell you how much better they feel and how much better they heal when they utilize both as needed.
Her interests outside of Traditional Chinese Medicine are learning about neuroplasticity, habits, meditation and the biology of compassion. She lives in Milwaukee with her family and dog (Krull), and enjoys science fiction and houseplants.
What Is Krista’s Approach to Acupuncture?
Acupuncture can have an immediate effect that Krista hasn’t seen with any other type of medicine. Right there on the treatment table, patients may feel internal sensations shift. In the case of pain conditions, one may feel the pain decrease or change location during the session. Krista’s style is to help people find that place of change, and then work with them using various acupuncture techniques, herbs, meditation and other modalities to make improvement become long-lasting, and to help the body better focus energy on healing. “Focusing healing energy” is another way of saying, getting the body to direct its parasympathetic nervous system to initiate and maintain its rest-digest-and heal functionality. These treatments and patient-practitioner relationship help a patient to feel calm, comfortable and engaged.
One of the biggest silent battles that patients face is how illness and injury can influence their self esteem, sense of identity, outlook and personal relationships. This is another area that influences Krista’s dedication to patient care and style of treatment. Even one session can help patients begin to feel more hopeful. And that is such a gift. Helping patients to recognize their internal healing capacity, specifically sensations in the body that indicate when the body is in rest-digest-heal aka parasympathetic state, improves patient confidence, assists in patient-practitioner trust and most importantly, improves outcomes. Helping patients to activate parasympathetic function themselves is highly impactful and a strong focus for Krista. This not only improves patient experience but can shorten the amount of sessions needed for treatment!
How Does Krista Incorporate Chinese Herbs and Nutritive Therapy Into Her Practice?
As an herbalist, Krista utilizes Chinese herbs and nutritive therapy in her practice because they are both whole food sources. Plus, they’re in your system 24 hours a day and they can deeply support the healing work of acupuncture.
Nutritive therapy is altering what you eat to support your health. It doesn’t have to be huge dietary changes; many times you can support your acupuncture treatment by altering a few aspects of your diet. You can do it yourself with a little guidance from your practitioner.
Chinese herbs and nutritive therapy are the most therapeutic modalities not just for healing a symptom, but for healing what’s going on in your body that makes the symptoms arise. Chinese Herbal Medicine (and Asian Medicine) and nutritive therapy are deeper acting modalities in that they are in your body 24/7. They follow you everywhere you go. Herbs and food combined with acupuncture can be incredibly powerful, together. And they may also be used alone for significant health impact. Your practitioner will guide that process.
What Conditions Does Krista Treat?
Krista offers treatment for pain conditions, complaints from aging, stress, menopause, digestion and other internal illnesses, as well as complex cases. She has advanced training in gynecology, and regularly furthers her knowledge with continuing education in treating pain, internal medicine, mental health, menopause and meditation.
Equally important to her, though, are the subjective, sub clinical complaints that might be overlooked at a conventional doctor's appointment. She operates with the knowledge that mild complaints, when not addressed, may turn into major conditions.
What People Are Saying
“She calibrated what my body needed. She knew how depleted I really was and tailored treatment to make me stronger physically and mentally.
We’ve worked on aging, sports injuries, the stress of being an entrepreneur, anxiety and adrenals. Her work with pain is amazing, and her compassion when you work on the deeper stuff is astounding.
I consider Krista one of the most important practitioners I have for my physical and mental well-being.”
- Sarah B.